Automobile lift



April 25, 1967 J. E. CLARKE Q 3, I

AUTOMOBILE LIFT 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 10, 1965 flz/ezzzor (/axs'eClarke 3/ 3%; 470M &

H /%W a April 25, 1967 J. E. CLARKE AUTOMOBILE LIFT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed Nov. 10, 1965 kfli/ezzior Jaswejf? CZczrfe United States Patent3,315,764 AUTOMOBILE LIFT Jesse E. Clarke, Hinsdale, Ill., assignor toAutoquip Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois FiledNov. 10, 1965, Ser. No. 507,125 4 Claims. (Cl. 1878.75)

The present invention relates to an automobile lift having jointed armsto facilitate access to the underside of a vehicle being serviced, andthe following disclosure thereof is offered for public disseminationupon the grant of a patent therefor.

The increasing variety of styles, sizes, etc., of automobiles poses aproblem for those who must work on the underside of these various cars.Some cars will have a frame, others a unitized body with no separateframe. The cars with a unitized body often have special lift points, anddamage to the body will result if one attempts to lift by supportsplaced at other than the lift points. Furthermore, with all thevarieties and sizes, there are innumerable variations in the location ofparticular parts on the underside of the car to which access must be hadduring the course of repair or servicing. The principal object of thepresent invention is to provide an automobile lift for use in garages,service stations, and the like which will simplify the task of theservice or repair man in raising the variety of automobiles on which heis called upon to work.

Embodiments of the present invention have the further advantage thatthey have a low profile when the hoist is down. This, plus the fact thatthe support arms may be folded in, reduces the extent of the obstructionoccasioned by the lift when it is not in use. Furthermore, the lowprofile enables a low slung vehicle to move over the lift withoutportions of the lift being recessed in the floor. It is also importantthat embodiments of the invention have adequate strength to support thecommonly used automobiles.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent fromthe following description taken in conjunction with the drawings inwhich:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of an embodiment of the invention employing twohydraulic cylinders or lifts;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of an alternative embodiment using only onehydraulic cylinder or lift;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the embodiment ofFIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a partial section as viewed at line 4-4 of FIGURE 3.

Although the following disclosure offered for public dissemination isdetailed to ensure adequacy and aid understanding, this is not intendedto prejudice that purpose of a patent which is to cover each newinventive concept therein no matter how others may later disguise it byvariations in form or additions or further improvements. The claims atthe end hereof are intended as the chief aid toward this purpose; as itis these that meet the requirement of pointing out the parts,improvements, or combinations in which the inventive concepts are found.

The embodiment of FIGURE 1 has a pair of lifting rams and 11. Secured tothe top of ram 10 is a bolster 12. Ram 11 has a bolster 13. Pivotallysecured to each bolster is a pair of jointed arm assemblies generally14. As will hereinafter be described, the outer end of each arm assembly14 has a car engaging member. The rams 10 and 11 are positioned adistance apart such as the supporting members of two of the armassemblies contact the car adjacent the front thereof, while anotherpair engages the car adjacent the rear thereof. Thus, the car will besuspended (when the rams are raised) mainly between the two rams 10 and11.

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In the embodiments of FIGURE 2 there is but a single ram 16 with abolster 17 afiixed to the top thereof. Pivotally secured to bolster 17adjacent the four corners thereof are four of the jointed arm assemblies14.

The structure of the arm assemblies is best seen in FIGURES 3 and 4. Itcomprises an inner arm having an upper part 18v and a lower part 19. Theproximal ends of parts 18 and 19 extend above and below bolster 17respectively and are connected by a pin in the form of bolt 20. The headof bolt 20 is partially recessed in upper part 18. The lower end of bolt20.is threaded into lower part 19 of the inner arm. Bolt 20 is journaledin bolster 17. The distal ends of parts 18 and 19 similarly areconnected by a bolt 21. Bolt 21 is journaled in the proximal end ofouter arm 22. Intermediate the ends of upper and lower parts 18 and 19is a spacer block 23. Spacer block 23 is welded to parts 18 and 19 andserves to give added rigidity to the inner arm of which it is a part.

At the distal end of outer arm 22 is pivotally mounted a car engagingmember generally 24. This member is of the type disclosed and claimed inPatent 3,149,700. It has a pin 25 about which it can be pivoted. It hastwo alternate car supporting portions 26 and 27 which may be alternatelyused to contact the bottom or some other portion of the auto. Thedisance beween pins 20 and 21 is approximately equal to the distancebetween pins 21 and 25.

A few of the innumerable variations in the positioning of jointed armassemblies 14 are illustrated in FIGURES 1 and 2. This provides theoperator in the service station or garage with a practically unlimitedchoice of arrangements for engaging the underside of an auto when it isto be raised by the lift(s). If, upon raising the vehicle, he finds thatone of the arm assemblies is blocking access (or convenient access) tothe portion of the auto upon which he intends to work, he can lower thecar to the floor, change the positioning of the offending arm assemblyand again raise the auto to be worked on. For example, if it were thearm assembly in the top left side of FIGURE 2 that was impeding access,the car engaging member 24 on that assembly could be left in the samespot while the inner and outer arms at their connection, as representedby pin 21, swung outwardly (upwardly on the sheet in FIGURE 2) so thatthe arm assembly was bent in the opposite direction of that illustrated.

The invention claimed is:

1. In an automobile lift having bolster means movable vertically byhydraulic ram means and four car supports secured to said bolster meansto engage parts of the auto to trnasmit the load of the auto to thebolster means, said lift being of the type wherein the bolster means inthe lowered position is above the floor, the improvement in which eachof said supports comprises: a first arm pivotally attached to thebolster means, a second arm pivotally attached to the distal end of thefirst arm, a car engaging member on the distal end of the second arm,each of said pivotal connections having a vertical axis, said first armincluding an upper part and a lower part positioned below the upperpart, said upper and lower parts being on the upper and lower sidesrespectively of the bolster means, and a spacer afiixed to and extendingbetween the parts intermediate the ends thereof, the proximal end ofsaid second arm being received between the upper and lower parts.

2. In an automobile lift as set forth in claim 1, where said carengaging member is pivotally connected to the second arm for movementabout a vertical axis with respect to the second arm and having an autocontacting portion spaced horizontally from the pivotal connection.

3. In a lift as set forth in claim 1, wherein two of said supports areaffixed to one bolster means and two of said supports are affixed to asecond bolster means, said bolster means being spaced horizontally fromeach other.

4. In an automobile lift having bolster means movable vertically byhydraulic ram means and four car supports secured to said bolster meansto engage parts of the auto to transmit the load of the auto to thebolster means, said lift being of the type wherein the bolster means inthe lowered position is above the floor, the improvement in which eachof said supports comprises: a first arm comprising spaced upper andlower parts, said parts having proximal ends above and below,respectively, said bolster means, a vertical pin connecting saidproximal ends, extending through said bolster means and pivotallysecuring said arm to said bolster means, a spacer affixed to both ofsaid parts intermediate the ends thereof, a second arm in the form of agenerally flat plate having a proximal end between the distal ends ofsaid parts, a vertical pin connecting the distal ends of said parts,extending through the proximal end of the second arm and pivotallysecuring said arms to each other, a car engaging member having an autocontacting portion and a vertical pin spaced horizontally from eachother, the latter pin being connected to the distal end of the secondarm with the contacting portion being pivotal with respect to the secondarm about the latter pin, the distance between the two pins firstidentified being approximately equal to the distance between the twopins last identified.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS EVON C. BLUNK,Primary Examiner.

H. C. HORNSBY, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN AN AUTOMOBILE LIFT HAVING BOLSTER MEANS MOVABLE VERTICALLY BYHYDRAULIC RAM MEANS AND FOUR CAR SUPPORTS SECURED TO SAID BOLSTER MEANSTO ENGAGE PARTS OF THE AUTO TO TRANSMIT THE LOAD OF THE AUTO TO THEBOLSTER MEANS, SAID LIFT BEING OF THE TYPE WHEREIN THE BOLSTER MEANS INTHE LOWERED POSITION IS ABOVE THE FLOOR, THE IMPROVEMENT IN WHICH EACHOF SAID SUPPORTS COMPRISES: A FIRST ARM PIVOTALLY ATTACHED TO THEBOLSTER MEANS, A SECOND ARM PIVOTALLY ATTACHED TO THE DISTAL END OF THEFIRST ARM, A CAR ENGAGING MEMBER ON THE DISTAL END OF THE SECOND ARM,EACH OF SAID PIVOTAL CONNECTIONS HAVING A VERTICAL AXIS, SAID FIRST ARMINCLUDING AN UPPER PART AND A LOWER PART POSITIONED BELOW THE UPPERPART, SAID UPPER AND LOWER PARTS BEING ON THE UPPER AND LOWER SIDESRESPECTIVELY OF THE BOLSTER MEANS, AND A SPACER AFFIXED TO AND EXTENDINGBETWEEN THE PARTS INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS THEREOF, THE PROXIMAL END OFSAID SECOND ARM BEING RECEIVED BETWEEN THE UPPER AND LOWER PARTS.